It's been 35 years since the death of "The Dissertation Dominatrix," Kate Larimore Turabian, but her legion of followers are still preparing for their hostile takeover in the competitive world of source citation.
Her followers, who call themselves "Turabs," have named their secret assault "Operation Citation Domination."
Their goal, to disrupt the current status quo and wipe MLA and APA from the face of academia to become the only source citation manual for students and researchers.
Both the MLA and APA are preparing for Turabian's hostile takeover, shoring up their latest rules on margin sizes, in-text citation, and bibliography structures.
As writers begin to question the monopolies that the Modern Language Association and the American Psychological Association have over essay formatting, Turabian and her Chicago-based legion of insanely dedicated acolytes are plotting their rise to power.
According to their website, documentation empires like MLA and APA are on the decline, giving way to a "new world order" which would unify the way students in the humanities would format and name the sources within their essays.
"For our coup to be successful," writes one unnamed leader of the uprising, "we must be in control of all aspects of the system: notes, bibliography, and author-date systems."
"No longer will the oppressed researcher be subject to the humiliating and soul-crushing rules implemented by the tyrannical two-system establishment. Adhering to our simple yet refined structure and methodology frees up the student to simply give credit to a variety of sources."
Both the MLA and APA are preparing for Turabian's hostile takeover, shoring up their latest rules on margin sizes, in-text citation, and bibliography structures.
Paula Krebs, the Executive Director for the Modern Language Association, spoke on both group's behalf and announced a new alliance that is sure to re-establish their dominance in universities around the globe.
"For too long we have overlooked the quiet insurgency of Turabian and her radical followers. That is why the MLA and APA have signed a peace treaty effective immediately in an effort to stamp out these subversive agitators."
"Effective immediately, we will now be known as the MLAPA. The two organizations are currently meeting to negotiate the terms of the deal, but be rest assured, common ground can be found between the arts and the social sciences in an effort to quash Turabian and her army of insurgents."